Walden

Henry David Thoreau

This book can be downloaded and read in Apple Books on your Mac or iOS device.

Description

It details Thoreau’s life for two years, two months, and two days around the shores of Walden Pond. Walden is neither a novel nor a true autobiography, but a social critique of the Western World, with each chapter heralding some aspect of humanity that needed to be either renounced or praised. Along with his critique of the civilized world, Thoreau examines other issues afflicting man in society, ranging from economy and reading to solitude and higher laws. He also takes time to talk about the experience at Walden Pond itself, commenting on the animals and the way people treated him for living there, using those experiences to bring out his philosophical positions.

From Publishers Weekly

Oct 31, 1990 – Shrinking Walden into picture book size is somewhat like trying to fit Moby Dick into an aquarium. Still, Lowe's selections from Thoreau's iconoclastic work will give children a brief taste of this classic. Using only quotations from the original work, Lowe tells the story of Thoreau's year in the woods, emphasizing his descriptions of nature,stet comma and action rather than his philosophical musings. Readers see the young Thoreau putting shingles on his roof, hoeing beans, welcoming a stranger; they can revel in the natural wonders he describes--the ``whip-poor-wills,'' in summer, the drifting snow in winter, the ice breaking in the pond in spring. Sabuda's superb linoleum-cut prints lend a hard-edged brilliance to the dark woods--where sunlight is filtered through etched leaves, and moonlight shimmers on the waters of the pond made famous by a young man's experiment with life. All ages.

Customer Reviews

slow but amazing

by
Ashtin2462

it is a slow read, its unavoidably boring at times to get through, however it is absolutely life changing. This book is an amazing existential experience and is philosophically wonderful. Take the time, read the book, it's incredible.

Yikesville

by
JordanDavidX

I wanted to love it. Transcendentalism sounds like a beautiful and peaceful idea. HDT is a self proclaimed philosopher, and I wanted him to draw insights about day to day experiences around Walden. This happens in the first chapter, but dies out as he goes into trivial tirades and mundane descriptions of his surroundings. The last 3/5 of the book I found incredibly hard to read. Not well organized. I imagine this book will find its best use after the nuclear fallout when kids think a pond and trees are fairy tales. For me however, I can make a fair bit of these notes from stepping outside instead of reading this book. Give it a try but keep expectations low

Read some place quiet

by
GoneWorkin

Got to really turn off all distractions to follow this book, but once you submerse yourself in it it is a very good read and amazing how we are still facing so many of the same problems today as we were in 1850.